A village could get a new working men’s club if a luxury housing estate is given the go-ahead.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes has lodged an application to build 87 houses on land behind Flockton Green Working Men’s Club.

And it says it will demolish the club house to build the homes, adjacent to the school and parish church.

A new club and parking spaces would be created on land to the west of the Post Office off the the A637 Barnsley Road.

It is only two years since the club celebrated restoring its historic clock.

Football pitches and a cricket ground associated with the club are safe from the proposals.

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Club secretary, Harry Marsden, said the plan was vital to keep the club afloat.

He said: “Barratt have come forward with a deal to buy land and build houses so we can build a new club.

“The place needs knocking down as it’s over 100-years-old.

“If we hadn’t have sold the land I don’t think we would have been open much longer.”

Mr Marsden said the move had been agreed by the club’s committee and said the clock would be saved and transferred to any new build.

Harry Marsden

He said: “We provide a lot of services and facilities to the village and the headquarters for the football and cricket clubs.

“The club is far too big, it takes a lot to heat it and everytime something goes wrong it’s expensive to repair.”

A planning application for the new club has been lodged with Kirklees and the plans should be available to the public in the next few weeks.

The housing plan comes fewer than six months since Kirklees Council’s Heavy Woollen planning sub-committee refused permission for 47 homes just a few hundred metres away, near the chicane heading towards Grange Moor.

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Councillors said the site, currently farm land, was unsuitable as the applicant, Persimmon Homes insisted on allowing large farm vehicles to use the plot as access to the fields behind.

The new proposal has already been referred to the council’s Strategic Planning Committee, which considers major applications in the borough.

Plans lodged by Barratt reveal it wants to build 70 three or four bed homes for sale to the public.

A further 17 two and three-bed houses will be offered for social housing.

Access to the football pitch and a children’s play area will be maintained through the estate and a new path to the primary school could be built.

Land to the rear of Flockton Working Mens Club, Flockton. Fenced off for proposed house building.